SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Blades closed out their 2022 schedule with a 6-1 victory over the Regina Pats.
The Blades outscored their Western Hockey League foe 4-1 in the opening period on Saturday night on their way to victory. At the WHL’s Christmas break, the Saskatoon squad had won nine straight. With a 24-5-0-0 record, the Blades were third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
The Blades get back to things on Dec. 27 when the Prince Albert Raiders visit.
International Competition
Some former Regina Pats and Blades as well as Saskatchewan products will be competing on the international ice in the coming months.
The Regina Pats’ Connor Bedard has earned a spot on Team Canada for his second IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Pats teammate Stanislav Svozil will represent Czechia for the third time at the tournament.
The event runs Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Halifax and Moncton. Kevin Korchinski of Saskatoon and Davidson’s Nolan Allan will suit up for Team Canada. They both play for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The 2023 Winter World University Games will take place Jan. 12-22 in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Team Canada roster includes former Pats goalie Roddy Ross of Meadow Lake who plays for the University of Saskatchewan, ex-Blades defenceman Scott Walford from McGill University, and Craven product Jared Dmytriw, a forward for the University of Saskatchewan.
Last week
In the first period Saturday night in Regina, Jordan Keller, Aidan De La Gorgendiere, Tanner Molendyk, and Brandon Lisowsky all scored for the Blades. De La Gorgendiere and Molendyk scored with the man advantage. Easton Armstrong got Regina on the scoreboard. The Blades held a 4-1 lead at the intermissions. In the third period, Conner Roulette and Trevor Wong scored for Saskatoon to create the 6-1 final.
Blades goalie Ethan Chadwick stopped all but one of the 15 shots he faced. Drew Sim made 24 saves for Regina.
On Dec. 13, four goals in both the second and third periods powered the Blades to an 8-3 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. The visitors took a 1-0 first period lead on a power play marker from Brendan Lee.
In the second period, Lisowsky and Molendyk scored to put the Blades up 2-1. The hosts then extended their lead with power play goals by Justin Lies and Roulette.
The Blades closed out the game by outscoring the Tigers 4-2 in the final frame. Scoring for Saskatoon were Vaughn Watterodt, Egor Sidorov (on the power play), De La Gorgendiere on the blue line, and Roulette. Shane Smith and Oasiz Wiesblatt had Medicine Hat’s goals in the period.
Roulette had four points on the night, while Molendyk recorded three. Those two as well as Wong, Charlie Wright, and Keller all had two assists each.
Chadwick made 31 saves in the win. For Medicine Hat, Beckett Langkow stopped 19 of the 26 shots the Blades sent at him.
An early lead on Friday helped the Blades hold off the Spokane Chiefs, 8-5, on Friday. Both teams scored five goals in a crazy third period.
The Blades got first period goals from Wong and Lisowsky to lead 2-0. Lisowsky’s scored again to make it 3-0 in the second.
In the final frame, the Blades got goals from defenceman Blake Gustafson (his first of the season), De La Gorgendiere, Justin Lies, Lisowsky, and Sidorov. Countering for Spokane were Chase Bertholet (two), Tommaso De Luca, Brayden Crampton, and Berkly Catton.
Lisowsky had five points on the night. De La Gorgendiere and Sidorov recorded three each. Saskatoon goalie Austin Elliott had 22 saves on 27 shots. Dawson Cowan made 16 saves for Spokane.
